On May 10, reader Karl Boericke sent the following message through the “Contact the Foundation” page on the Swedenborg Foundation Web site regarding the Swedenborg Foundation’s new series of translations of the works of Emanuel Swedenborg and how they compare with the older translations produced by the Foundation.
Continue ReadingNew Century Edition Blog
Our New Century Edition blog collects articles from our translation team on interesting finds that come up during translation and editing. These articles were originally featured in our print newsletters, and are dated from when they were originally published. Because of this, some of the older articles may contain out-of-date references, but all of the information is worth sharing and enjoying!
Some Thoughts on Translating
Meaning and sound are just two of the features that a translator has to consider. Which features to focus on and which features to sacrifice—the translator is constantly faced with those decisions.
Continue ReadingSwedenborg’s Theological Works: A Past and Future Sales Report
Swedenborg published the first volume of what is certainly his richest trove of spiritual treasures, Arcana Coelestia, or Secrets of Heaven, in September 1749. Around the beginning of November, a letter was sent to him, apparently from his London printer, advising him that the sales had been very poor.
Continue ReadingThe Universality of the Hebrew Scriptures: Reflections on Secrets of Heaven
To comprehend “the spiritual sense of Scripture,” then, Swedenborg had to plumb a depth of meaning that showed cultural and religious differences were irrelevant to a life in heaven. His major work unfolding the meaning of Scripture, Secrets of Heaven, therefore showed the universality of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Continue ReadingThe Vision of True Christianity
On an unseasonably pleasant Friday evening in January, the Swedenborg Foundation hosted a talk by Dr. Jonathan S. Rose. In his talk, Dr. Rose expressed what he saw as the vision contained in the work True Christianity, the first volume of which he recently translated for the New Century Edition. The following article is based on that talk.
Continue ReadingSimiles in Swedenborg’s True Christianity
Although all eighteen of Swedenborg’s theological titles are consistent with each other in many ways, each has its own personality. True Christianity is intended primarily to present a structured and carefully argued alternative to mainstream Christianity. While this essentially critical topic and the disputatious approach it requires might have rendered the work a bitter and ponderous read, Swedenborg leavens the message throughout with similes and a dash of humor.
Continue ReadingSwedenborg’s Influence in Scandinavia
Last winter’s issue of Logos featured a story about the New Century Edition’s forthcoming companion volume of essays, Scribe of Heaven: Swedenborg’s Life, Work, and Impact. Olle Hjern, the Stockholm pastor of the Lord’s New Church Which Is Nova Hierosolyma, contributed an essay for the volume, titled “The Influence of Emanuel Swedenborg in Scandinavia.” Here are three paragraphs from that essay, highlighting aspects of Swedenborg’s impact on philanthropic pursuits in Sweden. Of particular interest is Hjern’s discussion of the impetus Swedenborg’s teachings gave to Swedish ecumenicism—the promotion of religious unity.
Continue ReadingInclude a Current Photograph of Yourself
The New Century Edition (NCE) is focused on an extraordinary event that occurred in the past: the writing and publication of the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg. And the NCE, too, has its “current photo” linking the present world with the moment in time when Swedenborg wrote. That “photo” is the additional volume of newly written essays that accompanies the series.
Continue ReadingWisdom for Our Times
“One of the rare and striking features of Swedenborgian theology is its combination of a profound reverence for Jesus Christ as God Incarnate and a profound respect for other, non-Christian faiths. There is no need to downgrade Christ in order to appreciate the beauty of other religions and no need to downgrade other religions in the name of loyalty to Christ.
At a time when Christian theologians are wrestling with issues raised through globalization and when faiths are being enlisted in the cause of violence there could scarcely be a more practical message. It is tells us simply that we cannot see the best in our own religion if we are unwilling to see the best in others. In the following passage from Divine Providence (§255), Swedenborg explains how the emergence of Islam shows God’s divine plan.” — George F. Dole
Holding On and Letting Go
Swedenborg was a persistent person. He had an omnivorous mind and wrote on a wide range of subjects, yet some individual topics seemed to haunt him throughout his life.
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